Malfunctioning streetlights irk residents of Chandigarh’s southern sectors

Residents of the city’s southern sectors are now complaining about non-functional streetlights in their area.

In 2018, the municipal corporation (MC) had carried out a survey in which 9,310 dark spots had been identified in the city. Of these, 5,900 dark spots were present in the south (Sectors 31-63) alone, while 3,400 spots were identified in the north (Sectors 1-30).

However, MC officials said a survey to determine how many of these spots had been lit up hadn’t been done since then.

General secretary of the Sector 40C resident welfare association (RWA) SK Khosla said, “During monsoon every year, the wiring gets damaged and the streetlights on the main roads as well as in parks stop working. We write to the MC and the administration, but our complaints fall on deaf ears.”

President of the Sector-39B RWA Amardeep Singh agreed that streetlights had remained non-operational for a while now and should be restored soon for the safety of the people.

President of the Sector-48 RWA JJ Singh said even the parks weren’t properly lit. “Two flood lights were installed in the park here a year ago. The lights work, but their sensors are off and many times they don’t switch on even when it starts getting dark.”

CYCLISTS, PEDESTRIANS AT RISK

Road safety activist Harpreet Singh said, “It is important for roads to be lit as dark patches put cyclists and pedestrians at risk. After a black spot is identified, one of the first courses of action should be to increase the luminosity of the streetlights installed there.”

Meanwhile in the northern sectors, although most streetlights were functional, Sector 8 resident welfare body president Ranvinder Singh Gill said the timing of the lights was erratic. “Sometimes the lights would be on late in the morning and even afternoon. On one hand, the MC wants to charge an entry fee on gardens, and on the other power is being wasted.”

MC chief engineer Shailender Singh said, “Everyday, we receive 15-20 complaints that are mostly fixed within a couple of days.”

MC officials who maintain the lights said that many times, the lights stopped working because wires or other components would get stolen. The new parts would then take a few days to procure and so the process would take a fortnight to finish, they added.